Akihabara Ghoul
by Junibyou
Summary: I can live neither with you nor without you. (Ghoul AU: Now with a reformed first chapter)
1. Terminology and Details

**A/N** : Thank you for taking interest in this story. Please note that this AU includes a bit of the terminology from the Tokyo Ghoul universe so I have provided quick explanations below in alphabetical order. Please let me know if there is anything that is difficult to understand.

* * *

[ **Terms** ]

 **CCG** : Commission of Counter Ghoul. Federal agency that serves as a criminal investigative body in cases connected to ghouls.

 **Dismantling Show** : Human victims are trapped in an arena and are killed by Scrappers for entertainment.

 **Kakugan** : Denotes a ghoul's eye where the iris turns red and the sclera turns black. Can be activated by the ghoul's own will or unknowingly when the ghoul's excited, gets extremely hungry, or when they use their kagune. Influenced by Rc cells.

 **Kakuhou** : Sack-like organ only present in ghouls. Stores Rc cells.

 **Kagune** : A ghoul's predatory organ made from Rc cells, functioning as their weapons and claws. Red color. Flexible like the flow of water but still firm and sturdy. The ghoul's type depends on where their kagune sac is located.

— **Bikaku** : Shining Tail. Sac is located around the tailbone. No notable strengths or weaknesses. Contains balance and sense of stability.

— **Koukaku** : Shining Shell. Sac is located below the shoulder blade. High body sturdiness can be used to shape armor or melee weapons. Weight is difficult to handle, thus slowing down the user.

— **Rinkaku** : Shining Scales. Sac is located at the back of the waist. High regenerative powers and have brutal strength. Organ is brittle due to its liquid form.

— **Ukaku** : Shining Feathers. Sac is located around the shoulder area. High speed, suitable for short and long range attacks. Users run out of stamina quickly.

 **Rc cells** : "Red Child" cells, name stemming from the fact that the cells look like curled up fetuses. Exist in both humans and ghouls, ghouls having a much higher quantity of them due to their internal structure. Ghouls need to consume these to survive.

 **Scrapper** : Person trained to kill victims in the Ghoul Restaurant, usually human.

 **Quinque** : A weapon created from a ghoul's kakuhou. The type depends on the original ghoul's kagune. Only Second Class investigators and up can own them, transporting them in bags or suitcases.

* * *

 **A/N** : I've provided this as something to imagine throughout the fanfic. The characters are all adults and therefore are not dressed in the Otonokizaka uniforms.

[ **Clothing** ]

 **Eli** : Mostly formal clothing. Navy blue suit with white shirt, electric blue tie. Sometimes wears white coat over her clothes like the other CCG members. When at home, she wears grey sweatpants and a sweatshirt. When going out, she wears a mess of flannel. It's hideous but she loves it. (See: Nanjolno's horrid fashion) Wears a low ponytail because she's too busy to tie it tighter.

 **Hanayo** : Casual cute clothing. Example: beanie, large shirt, and shorts with matching boots and cute socks. Things that look nice and are easy to wear. (See: Shikaco's fashion)

 **Honoka** : Often seen in Au Soleil uniform. When not working, she wears comfortable and warm clothing (See: Emitsun's fashion). Scrapper uniform consists of black and red chef clothing, matching with Umi.  
— **Au Soleil uniform** : White button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, checkerboard-like pattern on collar with orange ribbon loosely tied around the neck. Suspenders to hold up her brown trousers. Waist apron with pockets for her iPad mini that she uses to take orders. Orange Converse ankle shoes. A sun clip is on her left suspender strap.

 **Kotori** : Often seen in Au Soleil uniform. When not working, she wears a pink floral dress with a light grey blazer (See: March Ver Kotori). Ghoul Restaurant attire consists of a Victorian dress. (See: Transformed Ball Ver Kotori)  
— **Au Soleil uniform** : White button up shirt with a black vest over it, a red ribbon tied around the checkerboard-like collar. Black trousers. Waist apron but her pockets are usually empty.

 **Maki** : When in the Ghoul Restaurant, she wears an extravagant royalty outfit. See: Transformed Magician Ver Maki. She doesn't really care about what she's wearing. (See: Pile's fashion)

 **Nozomi** : Formal clothing just to match Eli. Would rather wear something more comfortable (like nothing at all). Charcoal suit with a violet polka dot patterned tie. Sometimes wears a white coat with Eli or whenever she goes to scout for ghouls. Wears a nightgown at home, a variety of dresses ranging from all kinds of colors in public. (See: Kussun's fashion) When working, she wears a loose ponytail.

 **Nico** : Track jacket with white torso and black sleeves, resembling a panda. Pink bunny design on back. Black track shorts. Eventually changes to a pink blouse, black blazer and trousers to match Nozomi and Eli. Clothes are loose because Nozomi couldn't find a smaller size. Also wears glasses and leaves her hair down for a slight disguise.

 **Rin** : Simple cute clothes that Hanayo buys for her (See: Rippi's fashion). Wears a red jersey when going out for runs.

 **Umi** : Often seen in Au Soleil uniform. Wears whatever Kotori wants her to (See: Mimorin's fashion). Scrapper uniform consists of black and blue chef clothing, matching with Honoka.  
— **Au Soleil uniform** : White button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, a green tie around her checkerboard-like collar. Black trousers and dress shoes. Waist apron with pockets that hold pens and a notebook for taking orders. A moon clip is on her tie.


	2. Primal

**A/N** : Thank you for taking an interest in this story. I spent a lot of time rewriting this first chapter so I hope it's to everyone's liking. There may be a number of errors in this and inconsistencies in writing but I'm quite lazy and I just want to put this out.

Please enjoy. Do be warned that this fanfic contains cannibalism, violent acts, a bit of swearing, and a few other things that are expected from ghoul AUs.

* * *

She's cold. So very cold.

The ground beneath her is hard but at least it's also dry. The playground structure, much like a plastic dome with holes, provided a bit of shelter for her from the rain. She just had to avoid the openings in order to keep from getting even more wet. Her hair and clothes are almost completely soaked, providing a very uncomfortable experience.

There's little to no people around due to the late night rain, making her loneliness feel even worse. She sighs as thoughts of her home fill her mind. It was a junky little place that looked like it belonged to stray cats but she loved it. From the small bed and thin ripped sheets shielding them to the little pile of treasures she collected, she loved it all. She dearly misses the small space that she shared with her mother.

 _Mama_ …

Rin holds herself tightly and falls to her side, curling up into a ball. She can't stop the tears from her eyes but it's hard to keep her sobbing voice down. Her home was crushed to pieces and stained with her mother's blood. She only stood there in the rain for what felt like hours, the reality of the situation almost too much for her to process.

So she ran. She ran to the safest vacant space and hid there. She was only a child, what else could she have done?

Her breath hitches in her throat when she hears faint footsteps. She's hidden in the shadows… Hopefully. As long as the person doesn't come over to her area, she'll be fine.

The footsteps get louder and louder. Rin's heartbeat starts to race and she doesn't know if her eyes are normal or not. If it were an officer, would she have the strength to fight back? Or would she be killed like—

"Who are you?"

Rin's fear nearly immediately dissipates when she hears the voice of another child. Nobody she can't handle on her own. Probably.

She props herself up with her arms. The child moves into the playground structure to get out of the rain, her flashlight beaming on Rin's face.

"Are you crying?"

It's embarrassing to admit but the ghoul nods, wiping away the snot that dribbles out of her nose.

"It's okay, I cry sometimes too." Rin couldn't see very well due to the bright light that flashed in her eyes for a second but she swears that the child is smiling at her.

"Pana! Have you found your toy yet?" A warm but firm voice calls out.

"Not yet, mama! But there's someone here!" The child, probably named 'Pana,' responds eagerly. Rin's heart stops for just a moment as she realizes the girl isn't alone, but with an adult that can get her into some serious trouble or worse.

Her heart begins to race. The hairs on her neck stand up when another flashlight comes into view, her breathing becoming labored when the faint outline of a woman's face can be seen in the darkness. The adult gasps.

"Pana! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" The woman scolds Pana and rushes into the playground structure. She places her flashlight upright, giving faint light throughout the small area. The woman, who looks like an older version of Pana, peels off her raincoat and jacket, wrapping it around Rin. "Are you okay? You're freezing! Where are your parents?"

At the mention, the child's golden eyes begin to well up once more. She opens her mouth to speak but no words come out. Her lips tremble uncontrollably as she starts to wail, unable to contain herself any longer.

The woman pulls Rin into a hug, patting her dripping wet hair. The hand that holds her is warm, only the fingertips cold. The ghoul clings to that warmth as tightly as she could.

* * *

"Your name is Rin. Hoshizora Rin, right? Until you find your mother, I'll take care of you." Hanayo's mother, Koizumi, kneels down to the children's height on the bathroom's tile. "This girl is my daughter. Her name is Hanayo."

"Hanayo." Rin repeats. "Hana… yo."

"You could give her a nickname too. Koizumi Hanayo. Can you think of one from that?"

Rin pauses and glances at the brunette. "Koi… Hanayo… Kayo!"

"Kayo?" Koizumi tilts her head in confusion.

"Kayo-chin! I wanna call her Kayo-chin! 'K' from Koizumi, 'ayo' from Hanayo!"

Koizumi laughs and looks at her daughter, "Is that alright with you, Hanayo?"

"Yeah!" Hanayo nods her head enthusiastically, "And I'll call you Rin!"

"Good, now we're all family!" Koizumi claps her hands in joy. "Okay Rin. Just watch and learn because this is what we do in this house. I love you?"

"Hooray!" Hanayo lifts her arms, allowing Koizumi to take off her shirt in one swift move.

Rin nods in slight understanding. Koizumi moves over to her, putting the shirt over her own shoulder. "Now you, Rin. I love you!"

"Hooray?" Rin raises her arms and Koizumi peels off the soaked shirt.

"Good! Now, let's have a bath before you two catch a cold."

* * *

Rin fidgets in her seat across the table from her new friend. She watches as Hanayo inhales a bowl of rice bigger than her face, disgusted by the scent of the white grain. She stares down at her dinner - baked salmon, miso soup, some rice, pickled radish… It's all revolting to a ghoul like her.

She feels her stomach rumble. It's been awhile since she's eaten. She didn't have an entire human last time she ate either.

Koizumi looks over to Rin, swallowing the bite of food she had in her mouth. "Rin? Aren't you going to eat?"

Rin is snapped back into reality, her vision focusing back on the baked salmon in front of her. "Oh! Sorry. I'll eat now." The orange-haired ghoul picks up her chopsticks awkwardly, not knowing how to use them in the slightest.

"Do you want a fork?"

"No! No, I'm…" Rin's eyes dart back and forth from her meal to Koizumi. "I'm fine, thank you." She places her chopsticks on the salmon, attempting to pull off a chunk. The fish's meat flakes off onto her utensils, a nauseating smell coming out once more of the meat is exposed to the air. Balancing a small piece on the two sticks, she quickly pops it into her mouth before it could fall.

And immediately regrets it.

Her face twists into a sickened expression. The taste of the salmon was like eating wet sand from the playground and she wanted to spit it out so badly but couldn't. That would've been rude, even she knows that. She swallows as quickly as possible, forcing a weak smile towards Koizumi. The mother gives her a sympathetic gaze and walks away from the table back to the kitchen, leaving Rin with a heavy feeling of guilt.

Putting her head into her hands, the ghoul started reminiscing on times where her mom would come home with blood over her face, holding up a freshly killed human just for her. In those times, her mom would try to give her the entire human but Rin insisted that she eat some too to reward her for her hard work. The humans she'd get for them were so delicious compared to whatever she just ate. She'd eat eagerly and praise her mom for getting such a great catch. It feels so odd to be sitting where she is right now, eating human food.

Rin shoots her head up when a familiar scent wanders in her nose. Meat. _Meat that she could eat_. It's not exactly fresh but it's being cooked and it smells _amazing_.

She didn't even realize that Hanayo was staring at her until she hears her chopsticks clinking against her bowl. "Rin? What happened to your eyes?"

The ghoul's heart drops. Her kakugan was activated. Her mother never allowed her to have it on unless they were eating by themselves at home. Covering her eyes, Rin shouted, "I'm sorry! Please, I don't want to get in trouble!"

Hanayo tilts her head in confusion. "Why would we get you in trouble?"

"Because…!"

"Rin, please don't worry." Koizumi's gentle voice comes around the table again. "You don't have to care about that when you're here. Please, eat." She places a plate down with chopped up pieces of meat on it, handing the ghoul a fork.

She can't help but stare at the meat in bewilderment. Eat? In front of humans? Is this a last meal kind of thing? Hesitantly, Rin stabs the smallest piece and bites into it, eyes widening when she realizes the taste didn't want to make her throw up immediately. "How do you have…"

"I work in the CCG office. Sometimes we take ghouls in for questioning and so we have these given to us as a bargaining chip." Koizumi sits down with the two children once more. "They don't tell us where it comes from and I don't think I'd like to know. CCG's strongest moral has been wavering lately, but nevermind that. It's food to you like this is to us. Go ahead and eat."

"I'm… not going to be reported?"

"No! Heavens, no. You're only a child. And if I were to turn you in, they'd…" Koizumi's voice drops. Her expression melts down into something of sadness, but she immediately perks up. "Anyways, you're part of this family now. Please don't worry. We'll take care of you."

Rin looks at Koizumi and back down at the meat, stabbing a piece and chewing on it slowly. It's not as tasty as fresh kill but it's still good enough for her to eat. She shovels down her food quickly, the warm feeling in her belly increasing as she ate. Her clothes were cozy, the people who took her in were kind…

Maybe humans aren't as bad as she thought.

* * *

"I don't wanna go."

"You have to, Rin."

"But I'm a ghoul."

"That doesn't matter. And please don't mention that when you're in class." Koizumi lifts the straps of the red backpack onto Rin's shoulders, turning the child around to face her. "You have to blend in with humans if you want to survive. You want to keep playing with Hanayo, don't you?"

Rin nods. Reluctantly, but still nods.

"Then you have to go to school with her. It's your first day of primary school and you should be in the same class as Hanayo, so you'll be fine. What's your name?"

"Hoshizora Rin."

"What do you like to do?"

"Play outside."

"What's your favorite food?"

"Anything that my mom cooks."

Koizumi pauses for a moment upon hearing the answer but pats the child's head. "Okay, we're all set." She turns to Hanayo, smoothing out her daughter's shirt and making sure the buttons are set correctly. "Are you two ready?"

The two children answer in agreement, only enthusiasm levels differing from each other. Koizumi pushes back Hanayo's hair to reveal her forehead, giving her a light kiss.

"Take care of Rin, okay?"

"I promise I will! Rin's my best friend!"

* * *

"But then it turns out that she was married too! You should've seen it, Kayo-chin! The drama was so good!" Rin bounces in her seat, gushing giddily, "You didn't have to go to sleep so early, Kayo-chin~ I wanted you to stay up with me at least for the good parts!"

Hanayo laughs at her enthusiasm, fixing her red tie that slips out of her cardigan. "If I stayed up with you, then I wouldn't be able to wake up and make your lunch, would I?"

Rin pauses, her cat-like grin ever present on her face, and looks down at her meal. She pokes at it with her chopsticks, rolling around the chunks of cooked meat. "I guess… But Kayo-chin should let me help sometimes so it'll be easier!"

"Alright, if you can wake up early enough for it."

The catlike girl giggles, nodding her head. She opens her mouth to speak once more but closes it when the sound of hurried footsteps sounds throughout the classroom.

Most of their class has gone out into the hallway. Curiosity overwhelming her, Rin rushes to see what's going on with Hanayo trailing behind her.

Rin turns her head to see a crowd of students surrounding the bulletin board. Out of all the commotion, she can make out one student reading the poster aloud:

" _There's been a rise of ghoul activity lately. The ghouls are suspected to be in a group of three. Though they have not been attacking many at once, please be careful on your way home_."

"Seriously? Damn, I hate this."

"Man, I wish they would all just die already. Bunch of parasites…"

"I should've enrolled in Otonokizaka Academy so I can fight them. I just want to kill them all."

Hanayo squeezes Rin's hand tightly, tugging her back into the classroom. "Rin, let's go back to eating. We don't need to listen."

The ghoul turns to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We have to be careful when going home, Kayo-chin. Ghouls are bad news."

"Rin…"

"Don't be so careless about this, Kayo-chin! Ghouls eat humans so we gotta make sure we're super duper careful when we're outside! They're horrible and we gotta avoid them!"

Her chest tightens upon hearing those words, hands beginning to tremble. She hums in understanding, looking anywhere but Rin's somber expression.

* * *

"We sure bought a lot today." Hanayo chuckles, adjusting her grip on the bags.

"Well, we graduated recently! We deserve it!" Rin cheers loudly, swinging her own bags with pride. She kicks away the fallen petals in her path, letting out a gentle sigh. "Spring has come, hasn't it? And then soon, we gotta go to college. And then we could work to become super rich and live the high life!"

The brunette laughs but stops when she sees a lone familiar figure in her peripheral vision. That's odd, not many people walk in this path late at night. Squinting to see clearer, her eyes light up when she recognizes who the figure is. "Mama!"

The older woman turns around upon hearing the familiar title, smiling from ear to ear when she sees her beloved children. The duo rush over to give her a strong embrace, shopping bags clashing together behind her as Koizumi staggers in her position.

"Wh— Whoa! Calm down, you two! It's just me!"

"But we're doing this _because_ it's you!" Rin snuggles against her, nearly purring. Koizumi laughs and struggles with pulling her arms out of their grip, giving her kids a pat on the head.

After having their fair share of hugs, the trio continues their walk back home. Rin nudges Koizumi to grab her attention.

"Are you all done with work today?"

"Yes. I was able to finish early so maybe I could play a game with you two. We should celebrate properly tonight at home for your graduation!"

She abruptly stops in her tracks. The childhood pair stop and turn to their mother who wasn't keeping up with their pace any longer, giving her confused looks.

"Graduation, huh… It feels like yesterday you two had just met." Koizumi gives the two a nostalgic smile, eyes softening as she compares memories of the two as children to the grown adults they are now. "I'm really proud of you two."

"Awww, shucks." Rin giggles, scratching the back of her neck.

"Thank you too, for working so hard to let us reach this day." Hanayo returns the smile.

A figure in the shadows suddenly rushes past them. Rin and Hanayo flinch at the gust of wind that follows, looking around in bewilderment as they try to detect the source of it.

"What the heck just happened?" Rin wonders aloud as she turns to Koizumi. "Mama, we should g—"

Rin stops mid sentence, horror filling her eyes as she registers the sight in front of her. Hanayo turns to see what caught her attention and yelps in shock.

Koizumi's speech becomes garbled, blood spilling out of her mouth. She reaches a shaky hand towards the two before collapsing on the cement sidewalk, the large slash on the back of her neck coming into view. Rin and Hanayo scream in terror as three people land on their feet near the body.

"Aaaah, man. You were supposed to get the orange one too, Ruby." One ghoul with long aegean hair tied back into a ponytail complains loudly, jamming her hands into her jacket pockets. The one with hair as black as night kicks Koizumi to her side, inspecting her face. The street light shines off her leather jacket when she turns back to the other two ghouls.

"At least this one is dead. Better than last time."

The final one, most likely named Ruby, fidgets in her place. "Thank you but… Yoshiko, Big Sis, shouldn't we hurry and deal with the other ghoul?"

They turn to Rin who jumps in surprise, instinctively stretching a protective arm over Hanayo. Giving the two a once over, the black haired ghoul clears her throat.

"We apologize for this inconvenience, we thought she would be able to take out both humans but I guess she hesitated." She takes one step forward, stopping when she sees the two react negatively. "Well, you were planning to eat them someday, weren't you? Let's just split the meal."

Rin gulps down her anxiety, strengthening her stance. "'Meal?' They're my family, not your dinner!"

"See? I told you, negotiating never works out, Dia." The aegean haired one scoffs. Rin gives a fierce glare to the trio, burning the image of their faces in her mind. Ruby, Yoshiko, Dia. Were they all family? They're tied together somehow… delinquents? In this peaceful area?

It's hard to control herself. Her eyes turn red, kakugan activating as her rage boils at the bottom of her stomach. "Get out of my face right now." She snarls, starting to tremble at how years of containing herself were starting to crumble. Hanayo trembles behind her as _real live killer ghouls_ step just a bit closer to them.

"I bet she's one of those doggie ghouls, the ones who have no bite to them." Yoshiko takes a few large strides in front of the two sisters, ukaku wings appearing behind her. "You wanna fight for these two? Or are you just gonna let us eat them?"

"You're a fucking piece of shit!" Rin barks. Hanayo flinches at her coarse language as she's never heard Rin swear during the years they spent together. And though she's infuriated to the core, the ghoul had a bit of fear deep down inside of her. She's never fought a ghoul before, would she be able to take on even just one of these three?

"Ha! What a joke." Yoshiko cracks up. The smug grin on her face makes Rin exhale aggressively, sweat dripping down the back of her neck as she calculates her next course of action. Any wrong moves and Hanayo could be harmed too. The one in front of her seemed confident in her abilities, and the one named Dia didn't seem like a fool either. So that leaves—

Rin shoves Yoshiko to Dia, causing the two to stumble back like idiots. She grabs Ruby and puts her in a headlock, heartbeat picking up at a rapid pace as she roars at the two, "Get the hell away from the humans or I'll kill her!"

"Ruby!" Dia shoves Yoshiko away from the humans and stands up cautiously, keeping her eyes on Rin and Ruby. "Okay, okay! We'll leave, just let go of her!"

Hanayo rushes over to her deceased mother, finally given time to grieve over her. The sight stirs Rin even more.

"Actually, I should kill her anyways! You killed my mom!" Rin screams as she shifts her grip on the ghoul, preparing to snap her neck. "You think humans are just meals for us? You just kill without thinking about what that human means to someone else!?"

"Hey! If you kill her, you're no better than us!" Yoshiko shouts back at her, recovering from her fall.

Rin grits her teeth. She's starting to lose her reasoning. Being surrounded by humans for so long, not exposed to the true horrors of ghouls, not understanding human hatred for ghouls until now… The ghoul in her arms struggles against her unrelenting hold, her companions protesting any violent actions that she's considering. They killed her mother, they were planning to kill Hanayo, they just acted without thinking about what she felt about the two…

"Ghouls like you should just die already!"

The sounds of bones snapping echoes through the empty area.

* * *

Rin jolts up from her bed, heaving as her heartbeat struggles to return to its normal rate. She looks around the dark room, eyes falling upon the red lights that read "3:54 AM." She turns to the body next to her, beginning to relax at the sight of Hanayo's face, even if she's stirring awake from her sudden movements.

"Rin…?" Hanayo yawns, sitting up to be at even levels with her. "What's wrong? A nightmare?"

"I wish." Rin sighs. "I… was dreaming about when we graduated. When we went shopping."

"Oh."

Hanayo rubs the sleep and upcoming tears from her eyes. She leans against Rin's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her. "It's in the past, and we're both here now. It's okay."

Rin returns the hug, burying her face in her shoulder. "I have to be stronger as a ghoul so that doesn't happen to you."

"It won't. I know it won't because you'll be protecting me. You don't need to go through that, just keep living as a human."

"But I have to!" Rin pulls away from her, grabbing her shoulders. "I've been ignoring it for so long and look what happened! I should have been able to stop it!"

"Rin!" Hanayo slaps her hands on Rin's cheeks, silencing her. "Stop blaming yourself! It happened and you can't change it. Please, calm down. I'm here. That part won't change."

She reaches up to touch her hands, throat becoming dry as she begins to cry. Those few years of regret started to overflow. She nods and mutters quietly, "Okay."

* * *

The wind that breezes by isn't rough but it isn't something to sneeze at either. The sun is just minutes away from completely setting, streetlights illuminating the darkening roads. Shop lights begin to stand out in the darkness and the crowd starts to thin out, people either going home or into a shop.

Maki blows out the smoke she inhaled from her cigarette, trying to distract her mind as she waits in her usual spot. All kinds of people pass by the narrow alleyway but none of them were particularly interesting, none of them seemed interesting enough for a meal. She drops the cigarette and steps on it, putting out the narcotic. She has to act now so she could go home. She doesn't belong here.

Jamming her hands into her coat pockets, she takes a quick peek out into the street. The amount of people outside are starting to dwindle at an even faster rate tonight and she's running out of time. Convincing someone to follow her to an expensive restaurant takes a while. She has to get someone quickly, anybody.

Another glance to her left. A young woman probably around her age was walking alone. She's carrying a few stuffed bags, clearly joyful about her purchase. Her body looks to be a little more plump than the average person, her skin healthy and there seems to be a spring in her step. She should be a decent victim and also appeared delicious as well. Might as well go for her since the ghoul didn't want to be out for any longer. Maki steps out from the shadows before anyone notices, acting as if she was just another passerby. She waits until the woman passes her, then walks behind her and calls out to get her attention.

"Excuse me, miss. May I have a bit of your time?" Maki puts on her best voice and expression, her charms never failing her. It should work well on an unsuspecting girl too. And it does as the redhead catches the brunette's attention, lavender eyes looking at her with not a trace of suspicion in them. Something about those eyes caused Maki's stomach to twist a bit. Shaking it off, she focuses on the situation at hand.

"Do you need something?" Her smile is almost too bright to look at. Maki's eyes dart towards the ground, searching for a conversation topic as she realizes she didn't plan this out correctly. Shit.

"Ah… I, uh…" Maki fumbles to say something under the intense gaze of her target. Why is it so difficult to even speak? She's just another human! "M… My name's Nishikino Maki! I— Is it alright if I ask for yours?"

The woman giggles a bit, causing Maki's heart to skip a beat upon the light sound. "It's alright. My name is Koizumi Hanayo. It's nice to meet you, Nishikino."

"Maki's fine. Um…" Maki twiddles her fingers, knowing that she has to say something before this girl gets away forever. Then her next meal would probably be some gross guy she had to attack in an alleyway, and God knows she doesn't want to deal with that again. Old man meat is disgusting. "I— I was wondering if you'd like to g— go on a date with me! At least get a coffee… or something."

Smooth. Real smooth. She might as well kiss her next joyous meal goodbye because there's no way this girl would—

"Sure!"

 _No fucking way_.

"R— Really?" Maki's eyes light up at the response, gazing upon Hanayo eagerly. "Is it fine? I thought you'd say no! Can I really take you out?" She feels like a child let loose in a candy store.

Hanayo giggles, "Well, if you asked me when I was in highschool, I might've said no. And it's not every day that a beautiful girl asks me on a date."

 _She's so bold! Way too different from the other female humans I targeted!_ Maki's face feels like it's on fire from how embarrassed she's getting. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Not the prey attacking the predator? Wait, why is she getting so flustered in the first place!?

"Th— Then, can I get your email?"

"Sure."

* * *

Maki flips over the laminated paper, eyes wandering over the list of menu items without any interest in them. There wasn't much to look at since she couldn't eat anything anyways. However, she didn't want to unconsciously pressure Hanayo into deciding what she wanted by already having her choice.

"Does anything look good to you?" The gentle voice questions her, snapping her out of her trance.

"Huh? Uh…" Maki looks over the menu again, quickly reading the tiny descriptions of the food items. "I— I don't really know. I can't decide what to get."

 _Mainly because I can't eat any of this_.

"How about we ask the waitress what we should get then? I can't decide myself." Hanayo gives her a comforting smile, and Maki has no problem with agreeing.

Maki gives a small wave to the blue haired waitress. Once she rushes over and pulls out her notebook, the redhead asks what would be her recommendation. A glance at her nametag indicates that her name is Umi.

"Hmm, I quite enjoy a lot of things on this menu. My favorite would be the mixed sandwiches and the hamburger steak." Umi answers her coolly, giving a small smile. "Would you like those two?"

"Yes, please."

Umi writes down their order and walks to the counter, speaks a bit with the girl behind it, then goes to the kitchen.

Maki rests her head on her hands. Wonderful, she just ordered human food. Maybe she could handle the hamburger steak if she pretends it's a human? The thought of having to eat something other than human was starting to make her nauseous but she had to. She has to look good on this date.

After chatting with Hanayo about miscellaneous topics that come to their mind, their dishes arrive. Hanayo is happy to see the beautifully created sandwiches, digging in immediately.

Maki stares at the meat in front of her as if it offended her whole family, unsteadily grabbing her utensils. The smell of the hamburger steak wanders into her nose. It's not revolting, surprisingly. Maybe she'll be able to handle the human food despite never training for it. She never thought she'd need to.

Maki cuts off a small piece, stabbing it with her fork and lifting it to her mouth. With a moment of hesitation, she quickly shoves it in before she can decide against it. Chewing it as quickly as possible before the taste can fully develop in her mouth, she stops.

 _This isn't animal meat_.

She turns to the blue haired waitress who is preoccupied with another table. Though her neat uniform hides most of it, her posture and strength with carrying used dishes indicates that she does quite a bit of training. However, her scent doesn't give Maki any red flags and the other waitress with orange hair doesn't seem to be a threat. Leaving…

Maki turns her head towards the counter, violet eyes falling upon the woman who had adjusted her wheelchair in order to clean the wooden surface. A soft and kind face with silky ash brown hair spilling over her shoulders, along with an advanced wheelchair meant to give her nearly the same abilities as one with functioning legs should have.

There was no doubt. She was the one who had this type of meat prepared for someone like her. Maki turned back to Hanayo who seemed to fully enjoy her sandwiches, savoring every bite. Letting out a quiet but shaky breath, Maki continued to eat the small steak and save her curiosity for another time.

* * *

"Miss Nishikino will arrive shortly. Thank you for your patience." The masked waitress informs her as she places the coffee cups down on the table. Hanayo fidgets in her seat, playing with the frills of her tuxedo.

Being in a luxurious place like this made her fairly nervous. Maki insisted on a date with her at this fancy place but as Hanayo sat there, she was wondering if she should've convinced her to go someplace cheaper. She appreciates the gesture but this was nearly too much.

Just as she reaches for her coffee cup, the room then starts to rumble. The woman quickly becomes frightened as the floor begins to rise, the ceiling opening up to reveal a large and bloody arena. The crowd observing from high heights cheer loudly as the floor stops lifting her up, bringing her to a completely different room. Hanayo turns to the large golden balcony when the sound of a microphone being tapped echoes through the room, silencing the crowd.

"Ahem… Welcome, everyone! Thank you all for waiting! We will begin our appetizer course momentarily!" The masked announcer shouts eagerly, arms outstretched to emphasize their joy. "We have a lovely human here brought by our very own Scarlet Princess!"

The crowd roars in response. Hanayo flinches when the creaking sound of the large wooden door enters her ears.

"And her Scrapper that will be preparing the meal for tonight is the adorable Penguin!"

A taller than average blonde woman walks out into the arena. She drags a massive spiked hammer behind her, a deformed penguin mask covering her eyes but not the ear-to-ear smile on her face. A cute curled lock of blonde hair sticks out the most from her intimidating appearance. She has a rough attire of a torn white dress shirt and black slacks, a maroon apron carrying several kinds of small weapons tied around her waist. She changes her grip on the weapon, carrying it as if it were a light wooden baseball bat.

"Now, everyone… please enjoy the Dismantling Show!"

The Scrapper known as "Penguin" starts charging after Hanayo, raising her hammer to give a hard swing. She jumps out of the way just in time as the heavy weapon sways slowly past her, the wielder smashing the ground instead. Hanayo slides away from her due to the slimy part of the floor she jumped on.

"Oh! Mistake!" The Scrapper's voice is light and cute, unusual to her appearance. The crowd jeers at her for making a disappointing first move.

The human hurries to recover from her fall. Hanayo's initial reaction of panic turns into horror as she peels ripped intestines off her clothes, blood quickly staining her white shirt. Her eyes follow the trail to a torso lacking a head and arms, bones jutting out from flesh with organs and blood spilled around it. She trembles in fear as Penguin rushes to her position, ready to crush her limbs into pieces.

Maki's bikaku tail grabs the handle of the hammer and forces it out of the girl's hands with ease, tossing it away in some other direction. Hardening into a sharp blade, it stabs through the Scrapper like a hot knife through butter. She lifts her up and chucks her towards the golden balcony, forcing the members to flee before they are struck with the flying human and crumbling cement.

"I apologize for the interruption of the show and the changed menu. Please, feast on my most prized Scrapper as compensation. I assure you I won't be needing her anymore."

Maki turns to Hanayo, slipping her elegant mask off. Upon the sight of the human's frightened face, her expression melts into a melancholy state.

"Hey." The redhead crouches down, wiping away some blood off the girl's face with the thumb of her glove. "It's been a long night. Let me take you home."

* * *

The ride back to Hanayo's home is nearly silent. The hum of the engine and the noises that enter the car is all the two can hear. Maki snubs her cigarette in the ashtray, blowing the smoke out of the window.

She clears her throat. "Um… I wanna say sorry for… what happened back there. If you want to report me, you could. I don't mind."

Maki slowly steps onto the brake pedal, stopping at a red light. She looks over to Hanayo. The brunette is leaning against the car door, lips parted slightly with eyes lidded in exhaustion. Slowly reaching her hand out to her to not startle her, Maki moves her loose hair over her ear, exposing more of her face.

"I… really didn't want to bring you there. Please, believe me."

No response. The ghoul sulks and continues driving, letting the weight of the silence sit on her shoulders.

"That was scary… you know."

Nevermind.

"Sorry, I just… it's a thing my parents like to do. I didn't care about it but I had to do it at least once before I left the house." Maki pauses, taking in a deep breath. "I really like you but with who I am, it's… complicated. I'm really sorry."

Hanayo hums, "That was a strange way of telling me."

A light pink begins to dust the ghoul's face. "S— Sorry, I'm not good with talking to humans."

"I meant the 'luring me into a trap and having some foreign person try to kill me' part, but that was strange too."

"Oh."

Another stop light approaching, Maki gently pushes down on the brake pedal.

"I like you too, even after that."

The car is forced into a harsh stop, causing Hanayo to jerk forward and get caught on her seatbelt. She groans from the impact, Maki quickly blurting out as many apologies as possible.

* * *

"Rin! I'm home!"

"Kayo-chin!" The game controller in her hands clatters against the floor. Rin charges towards the front door, bouncing around in excitement. "Kayo-chin! Tell me about your date! How was it? Did the Nishio Nagi person treat you properly? You have to tell me all about it! And you gotta let me take you on a date someday too!"

"Nishikino Maki, Rin." Hanayo laughs as she slips off her shoes, revealing the redhead that was closing the door behind them. "And she'll be your teacher from now on."

"Huh? You go on a few dates and decide that someone's gonna teach me? Teach me about what? We're already in college!" Rin wiggles in place, eyes scanning the woman from head to toe.

"Teach you about being a ghoul. Lesson one:"

Rin dodges the sharp tail that charges for her, slamming against the wall. However, her position doesn't allow her to back up any further, sweat dripping from her brow as the pointed tail inched dangerously close to her eye.

"How to tell a ghoul from a human without needing to see their kagune or kakugan." Maki's eyes, now a deep crimson color, send a cold shudder down Rin's spine.

"I— I know how to do that!" She slaps the bright tail away but hisses in pain when her palm begins to sting. "Ow! What the heck is that thing made out of!?"

Maki, absolutely dumbfounded, leans over to Hanayo and mutters, "So she's a ghoul that's been raised by humans, right? I'm not just dealing with someone who needs an adult constantly by their side?"

* * *

 _Something smells delicious._

Rin slurps up the drool that started running over her lips. Her late night jog is interrupted. How long has it been since she's had a freshly killed human? Hanayo always brings small packages of meat for her and Maki but it's not as tasty.

Recently, Maki's been teaching her how to hunt. It's important to keep their identity hidden but that didn't really matter in her area as there aren't many predatory cases. She doesn't have to worry about ghoul investigators hunting her down.

She follows the scent into the back of a café. It's a smell that she couldn't put her finger on but it was extremely alluring. It reminded her of the bread that she'd see humans eat occasionally. But for sure, this had a better taste. The human smells perfectly easy to eat with just the amount of fat that she loves so much. Her eyes turn red when she thinks about slurping all of that fat out.

Rin inhales deeply, taking in more of the smell as she turns a corner to see a lone woman.

She has ginger hair tied back into a ponytail, a young and healthy glow radiating from her face. She's wearing something like a uniform. Rin notices her checkerboard-patterned white button up shirt with suspenders over it, a cute sun clip on the right strap. She has an apron around her waist carrying a few pens and a notebook, her orange sneakers giving a bright contrast to her dark trousers. All the ghoul could think about is how easy it would be to rip those clothes off and start digging into her meal.

The woman lets out a sigh of relief when she places the last trash bag on the pile, undoing her apron and wiping away the sweat that formed on her neck. Rin shudders with excitement as she gets closer to her meal.

Someone grabs her by the throat and slams her against the cement wall.

"What are you doing here?" The person's voice is low and intimidating. Their cute ash brown hair with a side ponytail and a strange tuft doesn't suit their deadly facial expression. "A ghoul? Are you trying to hunt here?"

"I—" Rin couldn't make up an answer. That person's scent made her so hungry, her self control was draining at a dangerous rate. Her eyes turn red against her will. "Y— Yeah, I am… I mean, how could you control yourself around such a delicious smelling human?"

That ticked her off. The ghoul lifts her up so that she's just above the ground. Giving a quick sniff, she mutters, "You don't smell. Do you even hunt at all? You chose this place as your first hunting place? Are you suicidal?"

"N— Nah, just hungry." Rin lets out a weak laugh but chokes on her voice as the ghoul tightens her grip.

"Listen. You come here again, on _my_ territory trying to attack _my_ human, I'll kill you. And since you nearly did, I won't let you off easy." The ghoul jabs Rin in the gut, scrambling her organs for good measure. The squishy texture would have made her happy any other time but right now, she was too infuriated to enjoy it.

After having her fun, the ghoul tosses her to the side carelessly. "Go home."

Rin, slowed by the pain spreading through her abdomen, scrambles up and dashes off as quickly as she could in her state.

The ginger haired woman swallows the lump in her throat, putting her hand on the ghoul's shoulder. "Kotori, that was too mean…"

* * *

Rin snarls in agony, trying to apply direct pressure to the deep wound on her gut. Her vicious noises lower to small whimpers once she starts becoming too tired to make more noise. She knocks over some empty coffee cans on the floor as she writhes around. She shouldn't have gone out to find food. She just started learning about the world at ghouls, what was she thinking? She should have stayed home just as her friends told her to.

The pain was starting to drive her insane. Her diet has been preserved human meat so her abilities weren't as great as a regular ghoul's. She couldn't just heal in a matter of seconds. And lately, there's just been this _hunger_ at the back of her mind. She's losing it.

"Kayo-chin…! Maki!" Her fingernails claw and drag on the wooden floor in hopes that will distract her from the misery somehow. Guttural noises escapes her lips after she hacks up blood. Though her organs can regenerate when given enough time, she couldn't stand the pain from having her insides scrambled.

Everything just hurts so badly.

She perks up when she hears the front door opening. She's suddenly excited now, vivid images of delicious and fresh human meat filling her mind as she hears the footsteps approaching.

"Rin? There's blood on the floor! What happened? I'm coming in to check up on you!" A voice calls out. The door opens.

The smell of flesh envelops her nose immediately. It's a sweet intoxicating smell, giving her the feeling of joy and comfort. Adrenaline pumps through her veins to get her to move, her body attacking on its own accord. Her _hunger_ is so intense that she couldn't stop herself from tearing into the fatty flesh in front of her.

When Rin takes a few bites in her childhood friend's hip, a comforting hand gives her a pat on the head.

* * *

Her sclera returns to white, the iris shifting from red to chartreuse. She feels the blood dripping off her lips, the image of her girlfriend struggling to breathe properly filling her vision. Her appetite disappears immediately once she realizes what she's done. Her scaled tentacles, having stabbed her friend without her consent, dissolves into fading cells.

"K— Kayo-chin! I'm so sorry! I got so hungry, I just—!"

She stops speaking once Hanayo's hand brushes over hers, eyes welling up at her strained smile. Her gaze trails down to the laceration on her throat, blood pooling on the floor beneath her. There was no hope, she was losing blood too fast and there was no way she could be saved. She was already struggling to breathe and keep consciousness.

Rin feels Hanayo's hand poking her stomach, pushing aside the torn fabric of her shirt. Slowly, shakily, her finger drags on her skin. The human isn't allowed to pull away as the ghoul clutches her hand tightly, tears dripping down her face and mixing with her blood. Though the message was faint, Rin could understand what she was signing on her flesh. She chokes out a quiet response.

"Hooray."

* * *

 **A/N** : I didn't expect the fanfic to take this kind of turn. I was hoping this chapter would be the only happy one. Oh well lol

I'm putting on a T rating momentarily for this fanfic. If this is too gruesome and must be put under an M rating, please tell me. The lines are a bit blurred in my perspective. PG13 movies lately have been fairly violent, after all. Hard to tell what's what.


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